Just out of curiosity - Airplane Guys

Feb 1st, 2003. Columbia is destroyed on reentry. All 7 astronauts lost.

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I've seen a couple documentaries about the Mars Mariner team, one following them fighting forrest fires somewhere in NW US, using a nearby lake to scoop up giant bellyfulls of water and swing round straight back to the fires, impressive as they let out tons of water right onto the flames and t'other following them on an international call to forrest fires in Mexico. I think the film I saw was mainly about the logistics of making the long trip and carrying or arranging all the stuff they needed to operate at a remote base. In both films you could hear the pride they took in their aircraft, giants of a bygone era but still the best-suited to the job they were now doing. I'm sure they told us the planes were being retired - due to age related issues, I spose?

Not seen the vids and want to, must be available someplace?
 
Raymond said:
I've seen a couple documentaries about the Mars Mariner team, one following them fighting forrest fires somewhere in NW US, using a nearby lake to scoop up giant bellyfulls of water and swing round straight back to the fires, impressive as they let out tons of water right onto the flames and t'other following them on an international call to forrest fires in Mexico. I think the film I saw was mainly about the logistics of making the long trip and carrying or arranging all the stuff they needed to operate at a remote base. In both films you could hear the pride they took in their aircraft, giants of a bygone era but still the best-suited to the job they were now doing. I'm sure they told us the planes were being retired - due to age related issues, I spose?

Not seen the vids and want to, must be available someplace?
Click to expand...

Yes, all retired now. The last of 'em, "Philippine Mars" flew down to the Pima Air and Space Museum last summer iirc...
Not sure if this is the documentary you're referring to, Raymond?

 
Jim said:
Would have loved to see one in action in real life...

Click to expand...
built in my back yard. I was also MDANG, out of Warfield ANG base, which is part of the (Lockheed) Martin facilities at Glen L. Martin State Airport. I would go down to the seaplane ramps as often as possible. My great aunt also worked on the B-26 line there in the 40s.
 

The Scaled Composites Model 351 Stratolaunch, or "Roc", is a solitary testbed aircraft built by Scaled Composites for Stratolaunch Systems to carry air-launch-to-orbit (ALTO) rockets, and subsequently repurposed to offer air launch hypersonic flight testing after a change of ownership. It was announced in December 2011, rolled out in May 2017,[2] and flew for the first time on April 13, 2019, shortly after the death of founder Paul Allen. The aircraft features a twin-fuselage design and the longest wingspan ever flown, at 385 feet (117 m), surpassing the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose" flying boat of 321 feet (98 m). The Stratolaunch is intended to carry a 550,000-pound (250 t) payload and has a 1,300,000-pound (590 t) maximum takeoff weight.
Stratolaunch ceased operations in May 2019, shortly after the first flight of the Roc,[3] and placed all company assets, including the aircraft, for sale by June 2019.[4] In October 2019, Cerberus Capital Management acquired Stratolaunch Systems, including the Stratolaunch aircraft.[5] Stratolaunch announced in December 2019 that it would be focusing on offering high-speed flight test services.[6] As of May 2025, the Stratolaunch has flown 24 times.[7]
 

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